Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo

President Obama will turn his focus today to education, offering a waiver from the central requirements of “ No Child Left Behind” to states that adopt his education agenda.

“To help states, districts and schools that are ready to move forward with education reform, our administration will provide flexibility from the law in exchange for a real commitment to undertake change,” Obama said in a statement Thursday.

The president will effectively end the accountability measures in the Bush-era education law and allow states to opt out of its 2014 deadline to prove students are proficient in math and reading.

In exchange, states must prove they have adopted certain reforms that the White House deems necessary, including adopting “college and career-ready” academic standards and linking teacher evaluations to student performance.

The unilateral move by the White House comes after Congress failed to rewrite the law by the president’s deadline. However, senior administration officials claim the plan would not undermine continued efforts by lawmakers to revamp the legislation.

Also today, the president will meet with members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus at the White House.